One of the things I've learned about being president is that we'll work on issues for long periods of time, sometimes in obscurity.

We have an obligation and a responsibility to be investing in our students and our schools. We must make sure that people who have the grades, the desire and the will, but not the money, can still get the best education possible.

We stand with women by fighting for economic security, protecting access to health care and supporting women's leadership across the country

We don't ask you to believe in our ability to bring change, rather, we ask you to believe in yours.

If a jayvee team puts on Lakers uniforms, that doesn't make them Kobe Bryant.

I could never be a politician. But as uncomfortable as I would be doing so, I have no problem with Obama's long-planned 'change of heart.' This dude's made huge, measurable strides for gay rights, and if being coy about his plans for gay marriage for a few years was needed to get him elected, then so be it. LGBT persons will be better off, and federal same-sex marriage recognition will come sooner because of it.

It's the idea held by generations of citizens who believed that America is a constant work in progress; who believed that loving this country requires more than singing its praises or avoiding uncomfortable truths. It requires the occasional disruption, the willingness to speak out for what's right, and shake up the status quo.